Author Topic: What if...?  (Read 1691 times)

LadyShin

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What if...?
« on: February 01, 2013, 10:37:26 PM »
What if....In an alternate universe, Marcus Cole as we knew him never existed? What if he was an orphan, parents slain by a bunch of superpowered thugs? Suppose he grew up on the other side of the tracks?


What if...



What if, he had the powers of an Incarnate while possessing the mentality of Manticore? Suppose he fought for Vigilante justice?

Feel welcome to discuss the possibilities or post your own 'What if?' scenarios. In many comics, I've found they're quite popular...Thought I'd give it a shot here. :)
« Last Edit: February 01, 2013, 10:43:03 PM by LadyShin »
"Frank! It's the love boat to Cuba! Shuffle board and pineapples filled with rum. Know what they do? They put little paper umbrellas sticking out the top so that when it rains, it don't thin out the liquor."

cohRock

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Re: What if...?
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2013, 03:05:03 AM »
The absence of Marcus as a pure hero would likely have had far reaching effects upon world history.  Would he and Stefan have still been friends who set out to find the Well of Furies?  If not, would Lord Recluse ever have existed?

At any rate, the speculation could lead just about anywhere.  That is probably why no one else has yet commented.  It would be a very broad "what if".

Praetorian Earth took a very broad turn beginning with one change in the Korean War.  Your course of history would lead to even bigger changes.
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Kaiser Tarantula

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Re: What if...?
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2013, 02:19:27 PM »
Vigilante Marcus Cole would be a terrifying thing, assuming he still had the same powerset as his Primal Earth/Axis Earth counterparts.  The world would literally be living in fear of him - how can you deal with a man who's nigh unto invulnerable, can call down lightning from on high, and can stop a tank in its tracks one-handed?

Worse yet is if he's one of those "collateral damage is acceptable so long as villains are taken off the streets" vigilantes.  If your apartment building just so happens to house a large number of gangbangers, or has a villain's lair beneath its basement without your knowledge, you could wake up one day to find the building collapsing around you in an effort to bury the wrongdoers.

Statesman, as we know him, was an inspiration for many, many heroes.  Without him as a respected public figure, and with him as a source of fear and panic, I doubt the world would see superhumans in a very favorable light.  Vigilante Cole would be pointed to by all the naysayers in favor of superhuman regulation (or even extermination) as an example of the kind of suffering supers can wreak on ordinary people in the pursuit of their no-holds-barred ideals of justice.  This, ironically, would probably create more supers like Vigilante Cole - society decries them as monsters and their government would be happier if they were dead or slaves to the system; the only way to remain 'free' and maybe do some good in the world is vigilante superheroics.

Supergroups as we know them probably wouldn't exist; the idea of several potent superhumans banding together under a common ideal would probably be cause for breaking out the military.  SGs would be rather more covert things than they already are, taking great care not to advertise their presence unless they're powerful enough that openly challenging the military wouldn't be a problem for them.  SG bases would likely be smaller and far more well-hidden.

Superscience would be far less common.  The idea of super-advanced technology, even relatively inoffensive supertech, getting into the hands of common people would be unthinkable - what if they were to weaponize it?  Technology is a superhero origin after all, and you never know who might be the next gadgeteer genius who can turn a nuclear toaster into a death ray.  Governments would likely abduct such superhumans, using them to create equipment to deal with the "metahuman menace."

I could see groups like Malta and the Knives of Artemis thriving in such a parallel universe.  Who knows, this sort of change might even produce a "Malta Earth."

LadyShin

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Re: What if...?
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2013, 04:29:09 PM »
I brought this up after remembering the introduction to the Incarnates expansion, where Statesman steadfastly refused to aid you in your search for the Well - suggesting very strongly that one did not need supreme power to do good. It seemed that this very subject was one that he feared would come to light... Sometimes it seemed that he cursed the abilities that he possessed.

"Frank! It's the love boat to Cuba! Shuffle board and pineapples filled with rum. Know what they do? They put little paper umbrellas sticking out the top so that when it rains, it don't thin out the liquor."

Kaiser Tarantula

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Re: What if...?
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2013, 01:23:47 AM »
Sometimes it seemed that he cursed the abilities that he possessed.
He did.

If you recall, drinking from the Well of Furies binds you to the Well, ensuring that you serve its will.  If you are a well-drinking Incarnate, the Well can literally take you over and speak through you, or make you act on its behalf.  This is why Lord Recluse (another Incarnate), researched the Well so thoroughly; he was searching for a way to keep his power as an Incarnate, and yet free himself of the Well's control.

Statesman, on the other hand, realized that he was forced to serve the Well, but simply... well, rolled with it.  He made a hero of himself, using his incarnate powers for a righteous cause.  Still, he constantly feared that, one day, the Well was going to call on him, and he'd be forced to do something he would regret, like harm innocents.  It was never made clear just what the goals of the Well are, or under what circumstances the Well would choose to take over and control its drinkers.  We only know that it can because there's a point where Lord Recluse gets taken over in order to speak to you during one of the Incarnate missions.  I forget which.

Colette

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Re: What if...?
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2013, 08:12:39 AM »
Y'know, I felt so strongly about this "Well of the Furies" and the "Talons of Vengeance" that I actually rolled up a character -- Tisiphone d'Erinyes, a dark/psi def.

She and her sisters are very upset that Cole and company are blaming the Furies for all this Incarnate nonsense, and she's actively going after the talons for, among other things, defamation. "Maggie took it hardest. She's very sensitive, y'know."

Ghaa...! Now I won't get to show her off in-game anymore. Just means I'll need to channel my own fury at NCSod some more.